The third book of the ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE series is MYSTICAL ROMANCE (still unpublished). Though there are several themes that run through the book, the most prominent is celestial love and how things might be different from what is experiened on earth. Yes, the scenes include sex, but offers a much different and surprising understanding to how that occurs.

As Swedenborg suggests in his quote above, nothing is diminished, only embellished according to the capacity of the recipients.

Intrigued? This short passage from Book Two, SURREAL ADVENTURES, doesn't give things away, but offers a few hints on what celestial love might involve. I expect this book will be ready for publication by spring or early summer.

The following dialogue (still being edited), tells about a romance James had with a young nun and why it was so extraordinary. A discussion emerges on the essence of celestial love as compared to the world's limited expressions of what is assumed to be love.

Excerpt from Chapter 4, SURREAL ADVENTURES

As Eli got up to get the deck of cards on the mantle,’ I said, ‘you know, after alone these last couple of days, I've give more thought to what might be in store for me and where I could end up next. I guess it depends on how things land for the fall guy.

'Anyway, I'm even more curious about all this now. And so, if you don’t mind, could you tell me more about Elysium’s state of existence. The topic has taken on more relevance since we visited the fall guy. I know you’re confident that he will eventually recover, but I’m not so sure; the way things appeared to me, it may not much longer before I too will be calling Elysium home... not that I would actually mind.

As Eli dealt out the cards, Mo asked, ‘what in particular would like to know since we’ve been through this before. Understand there’s not a lot more we can tell you about Elysium, one must experience it to understand, and even then there’s far more to it than anyone can know.’

‘Well okay,’ I said, ‘but at least tell me whatever you can about relationships and how they might be different than what’s experienced on earth.

As Mo suggested, the topic is inexhaustible, Eli said, since there are endless varieties and capacities for how intimacy may be experienced. And so before we can answer your question, you need you to be more specific.

‘Okay then,’ I said, ‘but I’m sure you already suspect what’s on my mind. Specifically, can you tell me how things are with sex in the celestial realms?

‘Wait a minute, did you just say sex? That’s shocking James, where did you hear that Elysium might not be celibate?

Mo, do you hear what James just asked? Shocking!

Mo shrugged, and then laughed. ‘Perhaps we can discuss this some other time when you’re mature enough to understand, because however you’re thinking now would be misleading.’

‘I’m over eighteen,’ I said, ‘and for your information, highly accomplished in such endeavors.

That’s what we’re concerned about Eli said. There’s still much you need to unlearn before you can truly know.

I’m quite certain I can handle whatever you have to tell me. It is very vital for me to know what to expect when I arrive there.’

‘Your turn James,’ Mo said… ‘deal.’

‘Just tell me what you think I should know,’ I said, ‘and why you say it might not be what I’m thinking.’

‘What you’re thinking, Eli said, is likely little more than a biological approach to intimacy. Since that’s all you’ve ever known, you could hardly understand anything about the spiritual influx of love’s essence. A cause is not separate from its effect...’

‘Do we really need to get philosophical about this; I just want to know the bottom line. Is there’s sex there, and if so, how it might be experienced differently than what I’ve experience on earth. If biological procreation is only for earth, then what would be the purpose of sex there? That’s what I worry about.’

‘Do you remember,’ Mo said, ‘when we told you how all sensations on earth are only shadows of what emanates from above? And so, whatever delights you might experience on earth has its origins in far more exquisite realms. Once again: as above, so below.’

‘You mean even with sex?’ I asked.

‘Especially sex; in fact what is experienced in union is beyond anything you could imagine on earth, but it is can only be known according to one’s capacity to receive the unfolding of love’s inward essence.’

‘Jolly, but what’s that supposed to mean?’ I asked. ‘Are you sure you’re not Platonising love as some upper storey spiritual exercise. I was rather hoping for something a bit more... ah, raw and visceral.

‘As Mo already indicated, Elysium can’t be explained, only experienced. But what happens; first happens in the mind and that’s why there can be no limitations when the mind is fully united in wholeness with the heart. Without the mind, there can be no awareness of love, without the heart there is no love to be aware of.’

‘Whatever that’s supposed to mean doesn’t sound much like the type of sex I understand.’

‘You’re right, it’s not; at least in the way you perceive it.

‘Then what is it?’

‘Something much more,’ he said. ‘There is much in our realm that is too rarified to be understood by words that have been cultivated by the experiences of earth and its limited plane of possibilities.’

‘But before you become too confused, Mo said, ‘you ought to read what Swedenborg had to say on the topic of sexual expression in the higher realms. He wrote extensively on this topic back in the 18th Century, presenting his findings of what he learned during his astral visits to Elysium. Much of this is found in a comprehensive book he wrote called Conjugial Love.[1] It’s important, however, that you don’t jump to conclusions since the concepts are often nuanced with spiritual meaning that you may not yet understand.

I’ll try to find you a copy, Mo said. After you read it, we’ll be able to discuss this topic more intelligibly. I think you will appreciate what he has to say. We really don’t wish to leave you feeling disappointed since we realize...’

‘I laughed. ‘Sorry for interrupting, but this reminds me of a young Irish noviciate I met while taking an undergraduate course during my first year of undergraduate studies. I believe it was an introductory class in Philosophical Ethics. I sat next to her whenever I could so I might chat with her. Sometimes I would visit with her after class when she had the time, which she seldom did.

‘Because she was a virgin and obviously intended to remain such, I tried to talk to her about sex as often as I could without being too obnoxious about it. Mainly I asked questions about her Church’s attitude towards sex. Sometimes she would blush, not knowing what to say when I got too brazen. Then she would change the topic and start talking about God and the true meaning of love; which, according to her, was never about lust. I would listen, but with a smug smirk, which I’m sure she found frustrating knowing I probably didn’t believe one word of what she was saying.

‘I admit; I was bad, and I knew it. At first I saw her as forbidden fruit… you know, the kind you like even more just because it’s forbidden. Actually, she was rather cute, even under her habit. In fact, she seemed even more endearing to me in her virginal innocence, especially when she became flushed by my salacious provocations. Not to mentioned, her charming Gaelic brogue; disarming as it felt provocative to me!

Likely she thought I was obsessed with sex, and most likely I was. And though I’m sure she was often uncomfortable with some of my antics, she did nothing to avoid me after class. If anything, my inordinate interest in her created a subtle bond. I’m sure she would have been afraid to admit this herself, but it seemed by mid-term she had more time to meet with me in the cafeteria after class.

‘I’m sure she found the topic of sex far more interesting than she let on.’

‘On the other hand,’ Eli said, ‘perhaps she thought that if she smiled and tolerated me for long enough she might be able to save your reprobate soul. After all, that’s the profession she entered.

I hadn’t thought of that, I said, ‘but I prefer my interpretation. It was rather amusing when in one of our discussions she tried to convince me that God created sex for the purposes of procreation so that the planet might be populated with faithful souls who would serve God. And since, she said, there’s no procreation in heaven, obviously there’s no for sex either, since there would be no point to it!

‘But then,’ I said laughing; ‘neither would then be a point to heaven! She didn’t like that, but I thought that was funny!

‘I had no idea why she wanted to be a nun. To me it seemed like a complete waste. Couldn’t she have sad no? Anyway, in spite of her vows of chastity, I could tell she liked me, perhaps even in unchaste ways, or at least that’s what I liked to imagine.

‘Like I said, she was very young, just out of high school before recently marrying the Holy Roman Church, or whatever order they call it. Likely she had high ideals of serving God with her sisterhood for the rest of her life. Being from a large Catholic family in a rural area of Northern Ireland, she was likely conscripted by her family into this cloistered life.

‘As we got to know each other better during the term, I felt sorry how she would never know what it would be like to love a man; at least what I considered to be love. And so, just for the hell of it, I tried to talk her into having, as I put it, a physically appreciative enquiry into an inter-gender relationship. I thought since there was nothing to lose, it would be fun to see how far I could get with her. More than ever, I relished the challenge of seducing her.

And of course, with me being a self-styled rogue, without any religious constrains, I thought I would be doing her a big favour if I could entice her into bed... something she would never forget and probably be forever grateful! From what I could tell, or imagine, she was way too much of a woman under her habit to go through life being ‘chaste’. I still think about her sometimes, wondering if she ever thinks about me. I also wonder if she remained a virgin.’

‘From what you’re suggesting,’ Eli said with a smirk, 'I take it you weren’t successful in compromising her moral stance.

‘No… close, but not quite. Perhaps she thought I wasn’t worth the risk of eternal damnation. After all, the scriptures say God is a jealous God. Once I told her that I would make it worth her while. I could tell she tried not to laught.

‘As I said, she may have been rather uneasy with me at the beginning of the term, but she eventually lightened up and even laughed at some of my innuendos and jokes. I know she enjoyed my flirtations, and so by then end of the semester, I could tell her resolve was weakening. For my part, I was becoming more attached to her all the time, not just because she was cute with her auburn hair, freckles and Celtic accent, but perhaps because she stood for her principles, even if I didn’t agree with them.

‘Okay, now for the interesting part… but don’t tell anyone; I don’t want this getting back to the Vatican… she might lose her job.

‘It was on the final day of class that I thought I’d make my move since this would likely be my last chance… a hail-Mary pass, so to speak. And so somehow I managed to convince her to meet me for dinner so we could celebrate the end of our class term.

We agreed to meet at a quint bistro near the campus that I liked. I was actually a bit surprised when she showed up. And I must say, most delighted! Gone were her old defences; along with her concealing habit. I’m not sure what story she might have given her superiors, but when she appeared at the eatery that evening, I would never have guessed she was a nun. Though she wore modest white cotton dress with a plain pink sweater, her appeal was greatly accentuating with only a faint application of red lipstick.

She appeared far more attractive that I had even imagined her to be, especially with there being far more to her willowy contours than I would have guessed. I think she said she had a cousin in London; probably she borrowed the cloths from her.

At first she seemed a little nervous about getting together, as though she had never been on a date before. Not that she would have admitted to this being a date. Probably she rationalized this as only a little dinner celebration with a friend, just as I had suggested to her. After knowing her as a nun over the last eight months, I felt I was finally with the real, unfettered Máire, rather than Sister Máire[2] who remained hidden under her habit.

With our time together going even better that I had anticipated, I suggested, as though it was a whim, that we stop by my room in the student residence where I would make her a cup of special tea. She knew I had a roommate, but I didn’t tell her he had already left for the summer and that we would be alone. At first she appeared conflicted, as though she may be committing a venial sin by going to a single man’s room.

Still, I could tell she really wanted to, considering what a good time we were having with me being at my jovial best. I remembered once reading where Marilyn Monroe said, if you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything.’ And it worked! After a more joking with her, she finally relented; but said only for a few minutes, since her sister superiors were expecting her to return to the convent very soon. I tried not to be too obvious being over delighted, but I’m sure it showed.

‘After we arrived at my room, I looked in my cupboard for the exotic rooibos tea I had promised her without actually searching in the right place. And so instead I poured her a half glass of red wine as a substitute, which I insisted was communion wine, blest by some priest I that was recently in Rome to see the pope. And of course, I said, the wine had been procured by epicurean gods in a Grecian vineyard overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

‘She giggled at my exotic narrative as I poured myself a full glass, this time with exaggerated flair I acquired by mimicking professional bartenders. We clinked out glasses to celebrate the end of classes, and then toasted our friendship and all the delightful times we had shared in class.

‘As it turned out, she must have had more than a few minutes to spend with me. After another half glass or two, she was in a very jolly mood, completely enthralled with my wit and charm. Evidently she was not used to imbibing these fine spirits of the gods. And so I continued on about my daring adventures at sea, along with all the humorous incidents I could remember experiencing at port. She was fascinated to hear my tales; albeit slightly embellished, not having been anywhere outside Ireland before arriving at the convent in London.

‘By the time I finished telling my yarns, I could tell she was more than just amused by me. There was something I saw in sparkling eyes that caused me to sit beside her on the side of my bed after pouring her another glass of wine. She faintly objected to how much wine I had poured, but then leaned in towards me while laughing at no matter what I said or did. Apparently I was one funny bloke.

After helping her finished her wine, she snuggled in more closely towards me with her hand resting on my knee. At first it was placed there tentatively, but gradually I felt her hand moving towards my inner thigh.

‘Never mind where my hands were. Let’s just say, with our inhibitions having dissolved in the red wine, we stared into each other’s eyes. Then I gave her a light kiss on her cheek. She backed away for a moment, wide eyed, as though I was the first man to have ever done this to her. Damn, I thought, she’s beautiful as I continued starring into her eyes. Slowly, I leaned into her and kissed her again, this time on her lips.

That’s all it took, and the fire was ignited. She came back at me with the most ravenous kisses I had ever experienced as though she had a life time of passion pen she had never unleashed. She kissed my face, lips and then went into my mouth; as we fell back on the bed. It was amazing how sensuous she was; I had never been kissed like this ever before, or since, for that matter!

‘By then I had become overwhelmed with hot desire for her, but still a bit concerned I might be overplaying my hand – quite literally, which was now under her blouse and bra, stroking her firm, yet supple breasts. I expected some resistance, but there was none – none at all, as she kissed me more sensuously than ever as if to encourage me.

Her hand was now within inches of my groin and moving closer. I was just about to unbuckle my belt to make it easy for her – and me. My mind was swimming deliriously with sensuous delight, as I rolled my body on top of hers, pressing hard against her; it now seemed she couldn’t wait to be mine.

‘That was… until Rome called! It was just then her damned mobile rang, and we both knew it was all over. She told whoever it was, that she had been delayed, but would be back promptly. Perhaps she thought this was God’s way of saving her virginity for His service, but I’ve never before seen a young woman appear so frightened and upset. At once, she straightened her clothes and hair, thanked me for the wonderful evening, gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and ran out the door, before I could say anything. I watched she run down the hall still carrying her shoes. I imagined she was crying; having lost what we would never again experience… with me, or anyone else.

‘In frustration, I imbibed what was left in the third bottle, before falling back on the bed where moments earlier, our bodies had been entangled, clinched in tight embrace. I lay there in a stupor with my head spinning; then I fell off, not waking until early morning, my dishevelled clothes clinging to my body.

‘I never saw or heard from her again; perhaps she was paying penance after confessing her impure desires, and whatever half lies she might have told her superiors regarding a student meeting at the university that evening.’

‘That’s a rather touching love story, James,’ Eli said, ‘in more ways than one,’ he smiled. ‘Very personal – thanks for sharing it with us.’

‘I probably shouldn’t have told you as much as I did; guess I kind of got caught up with the intensity of the feelings I had for her that night. You know, I’ve never told this to anyone before. I’ll never forget her; after eight months of longing, our shared passion was released, only to be denied by the authorities.

Damn, but it hurt, even months after as I thought how I lost the love of my life, and that I would never find her again. In fact, I still think about her now and then and would love to be with her again. But then, how can you compete with God and Rome? Eventually I got over it… mostly. C'est la vie; life goes on.’

‘Sorry to hear how it ended,’ Mo said, ‘she may have been good for you had she renounced her vows so she could be you.’

‘Possibly, but in all honesty, I’m not sure how good I would have been for her. Back then I had much to learn and for the most part, she was far more mature than me. Probably I would have disappointment her too, considering how well my relations with women have worked since then. At least she gave me a fleeting idea of how love might be, if only for a moment. Still, it really is too bad how love never turns out as we wish it would.

‘Tell me, James, Mo said, ‘have you ever since experienced these feelings for another woman.’

‘Unfortunately, I never have, although I’ve wanted to.’

‘Never?’ he asked.

Well, at least not until I met Julianne a few days ago when she held the rosary over my body and prayed for my well-being. I don’t know, perhaps this kindness evoked in me of what I felt with Máire. Whatever it was, I sensed there was a something to Juliane that I hadn’t experience since being with Máire that night. The feeling was both sensuous and… might I say, heavenly. That may sound like a contradiction; lust and innocence at once.’

‘Maybe,’ Eli said, ‘but perhaps it’s that contrast that invokes such exquisite feelings in the soul.’

‘Possibly,’ I said. ‘So now that I’ve shared the special story of unconsummated love with a nun, I hope you will tell me of a more fortuitous outcome that might still await me in the celestial realms.

‘You mean with Máire? That could be a very long time yet,’ Eli said smirking. She still has her best years ahead of her on earth, with or without you.

‘I ignored Eli’s disingenuous remark.

We would be pleased to tell you what we can, Mo said, but don’t expect us to speculate on how any of this might apply to you. You see James, for you to actually understand love; you must have a broader context to appreciate what a relationship means, and not just with women, but with your Self. Perhaps over time you might have acquired some insights into this from Máire, but as things are, you still assume love has more to do with the physicality of coming together rather than understanding how the soul’s essence is expressed through inward union.’

I wasn’t happy with Eli’s response. It felt patronizing. With him appearing to be much younger than me, it always irked me when he suggested I wasn’t ready to discuss something or another, which, in this case was women. But women were my speciality, not his. I had been involved in far more libidinous affairs than I’m sure he could have ever hoped for while on earth. In fact, I was sure there was much I could teach him.

‘Rather presumptuous for you to suggest what I am ready for, wouldn’t you say?’ When was the last time you were on a date? I took another swig from a bottle of Whiskey as I continued to glare at him.

Mo seemed amused. ‘No offense James,’ he said, ‘but Eli’s right. To properly understand the nature of intimate relationships, you must first experience the essence of love because the whole universe flows out of this dynamic. Unfortunately, the way love is experienced on earth often involves only the release of primal hormones, completely devoid of spiritual meaning.

‘At the other extreme, sensuality is denigrated by some religions because sexual union is perceived as existing for the purposes of procreation and nothing more, as your young noviciate once suggested. The Biblical admonishment that states: be fruitful and multiply,[3] has often been used to support this way of thinking.

I tried to tell her, but she was already indoctrinated.

‘But Máire wasn’t entirely wrong. Sexual love has a sacred quality to it that transcends the gratification of primal instincts; not to say there’s anything wrong with gratification. In fact, you might have taught her this since she had no way of knowing, a special magic that goes beyond populating the earth’s surface. What she discovered that night was a something more she didn’t understand and perhaps still doesn’t – how her spirit longed to meld with yours in the ecstatic union with your body.’

‘From what you indicated,’ Eli said, ‘I suspect even before your tryst she might have been in love with you for some time. Maybe deep down, she still is.’

‘And maybe I am too,’ I said, ‘at least for this something more. But what was this illusive enchantment we had. I’m not sure I understand; I just know I’ve never experienced anything like it since.’

Maybe I can help you with this, Mo said. What I meant by something more was a rare quality that went beyond what is typically regarded as romantic love in your world. Did you notice that neither Máire nor Julianne asked you for anything, but loved you for who you were? Máire wanted to save your soul; Julianne wants to save your body. It is this quality of their spirit that captured your heart; the unconditional love you didn’t understand but felt. Both women are physically appealing, yet even more appealing to behold within. That’s what you’ve missed with Máire… but regained with Julianne.’

‘Such spiritual love may or may not include erotic love. It might be expressed as a calm and quiet encounter, or it may be experienced in an ecstatic rampage, but only through embracing its divine essence can one know unconditional love.

‘That’s why, even in our earthly indulgences, we experience a foretaste of something better that’s yet to come. How could love be understood as anything other than an infusion of divinity? It can’t; therefore only to the extent that we remain true to our divine nature are we able to experience the essence of sexuality.’[4]

‘Those are jolly fine words, Mo, but what you’re saying seems to be more of a spiritual abstraction, much along the religious lines of what Máire was saying. But why take the fun out of sex by making it sound like a religious rite, or worse yet, a civic responsibility to be fruitful and multiply.

‘Should our perspectives disappoint you, Mo said, so be it. Perhaps Eli is right, you’re still not ready to experience Elysium’s love, which by the way, is anything other than what you might consider to be outwardly religious since we have no need or provision for rites or civic responsibility.

‘Ironic, isn’t it; Eli said, ‘what religion Máire was trying to convince you of seemed to have the inverse effect of inflaming your passions, rather than dousing them. Maybe you should try dating more of these noviciates, he laughed.’

‘I think I learned my lesson. If their loyalties are the Church, then I say off to a nunnery go,[5] but please leave me alone. Okay, I admit it; I still resent Rome for taking away the only woman I’ve ever loved… in as much as I could.

‘I can sympathize why you might feel that way, at least for a time,’ Mo said, ‘nevertheless these feelings of loss won’t help find what you are looking for. It will only create more experiences of loss, which is exactly what you told us has been happening to you ever. And so I’m not sure there’s much we can do or say to help you understand anything of Elysium’s pure love essence. Only by giving and receiving unconditional love can this be experience since that’s the only love that Elysium knows. When that happens, you will no longer ask to understand, you will just know.’

‘That’s splendid,’ I said, ‘but still that’s doesn’t give me much to go on. Perhaps you could give me some real life examples, rather than more abstractions?’

Mo half smirked and said: ‘Let me ask you James; how is it possible to describe to someone in the Lowlands what it is like to ascend a majestic mountain when all they have ever experienced is life in their stifling swamp? Could they understand what you went through on the long arduous ascent where you struggled, both within and without?’

‘Are there any words that reveal the mystical wonderment of experiencing the splendors of the meadows, flowers, shrubs, streams, birds and animals? And then, even after all that, to stand on the highest peak of the snow-capped mountains, where the sierras glistened all about you in the morning sun. That else can evoke that glorious ecstasy in the depths of your soul except to experience it for yourself.’

‘Yes, you may attempt to translate into words what you saw and heard, but they can never convey what you felt. First you must experience what those words mean. Though descriptions may provide the imagination with intimations, still they are just words; no one from below can enter into what you experienced up there.’

‘I’m not sure that’s completely true,’ I said. ‘Is that not what poetry if for, to take us to new realms we could never appreciate without the poet’s words.’

‘You make a good point,’ Mo said, ‘and yet poetry has its limitations. It may paint wonderful pictures for the mind’s eye, but wonderful is not wonderment. Well-chosen words can evoke imaginations to enhance certain thoughts the senses may have overlooked, but words only have meaning when they describe what has already be experienced, otherwise they are mere sentiment. I believe Sir Francis Bacon stated this most succinctly: words are but images on matter, to fall in love with them is to fall in love with a picture.’[6]

‘That’s why we don’t wish you to be offended when we say you aren’t ready for what you most desire, but you are being prepared. And so we encourage you to venture beyond the words we speak. Words alone don’t teach, and so it’s up to you to move beyond to discover your own truth by experiencing it for yourself.

‘Though there already is much you have discovered on your ascent, still you must ascend to a higher vista before you are able to objectively see and understand where you were. You may now understand the Lowlands in way you couldn’t have seen before ascending to this Summit, likewise you won’t understand this Summit until your rise to new heights to see it as it is.

‘Remember, you have only been here for a very short while. Until you pass through Elysium’s Passage, you will hear only words from us, but you will not understand, just as we Lowlanders can know nothing of your mountain top experience.’

‘And that’s why,’ Eli said, ‘we won’t try to teach you what can’t be learned… only discovered. And so we must remain silent.’

‘So where does this leave me?’ I asked.

‘I suppose on the outside looking in,’ he said.

‘And so it’s been all my life.’

Footnotes

[1] Emmanuel Swedenborg, with his years of visiting and documenting his observations of heaven wrote about his understanding of the spiritual dynamics of love between men and woman in the heavens. He created the word ‘conjugial rather than conjugal (marriage love) to express his unique perspective since ‘conjugal’ didn’t adequately express the meaning he wished to convey. Basically the word ‘conjugial’ is used to describe the essential interior spiritual relationship rather than the external physical union. From what I understand, all expressions of sexual pleasures are divinely inspired, emanating from within. For selected quotes on this, see Conjugial Love in Addendum ‘B’.

[2] Máire is the Gaelic name for Mary.

[3] Genesis 1:28 (KJV)

[4] Recently, in my research on this topic, I came across this quote from Swedenborg that seems to support what Mo was saying: And because conjugial love is chaste, pure and holy, the intercourse is also full. The intercourse is then more delightful and blessed, because when the love becomes of the spirit it becomes more interior and pure, and therefore more perceptible, and every delight increases according as it is perceived, and increases until its blessedness is discernible in its delight.

[5] Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene I, stated by Hamlet to his sister Ophelia

[6] Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Lord Chancellor of England under Queen Elizabeth 1, philosopher and scientist, regarded as the intellectual/scientific godfather of the Royal Society in London. Alexander Pope once referred to him as the wisest, brightest and meanest of mankind.

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OVERVIEW OF THE ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE SERIES

The series will involve five Elysium narrations regarding a young British philosopher named James Phillips who finds himself living in an altered state of reality while still remaining on earth.

After experiencing a near fatal fall while climbing to the summit of a remote mountain in the Andes, James awakens in a new dimension. He soon encounters two mysterious beings who provide him with a very different perspective on the nature of his existence. Over the next year, before his body recovers from the coma, he is challenged to re-examine his understanding about life’s meaning and purpose far beyond anything he previously believed, or could believe.

An engaging and sometime surreal adventure with intimations of impending romance, the narrative explores the most important questions about life, death, reality and our ultimate destiny.

The Plains of Elysium (Champs-Élysées) was described by Homer, Hesiod, Virgil and many other poets as the paradisiac afterlife realm reserved for heroes. As the title suggests, this is about a journey through a passage that leads towards Elysium’s exciting realm of existence.

READER REVIEWSELYSIUM'S PASSAGE: THE SUMMIT

The following comments are among the first Amazon reviews of Elysium’s Passage: The Summit. All are Five Stars! Others reader reviews are included below, along with excerpts from two professional reviews. To read full reviews, go to READER REVIEWS on www.elysiumspassage.com

"A delightful mix of fantasy, reality, conjecture and humour; Mr. Meyers draws the reader into the story with a gentle narrative that captures imagination, leaving one anxious to get to the next page drawing you into his exceptional world.”

"Quietly, gently, and without imposition, the Author unfolds the pages, creating an intricate, interlocking bridge spanning the chasm between mind and heart. Renewing, refreshing, restoring. In my bereavement, it was vigil and light…"

“Excellently written with an exceedingly deep understanding of this world and the next. The characters are very well written and engaging that takes the reader on both a philosophical and spiritual journey, a journey that at times is both disquieting and tranquil. James, a British Philosopher can be irreverent and caustic, traits that should have left me cringing, but instead made me laugh out loud. Elysium’s Passage is a fun, enlightening and remarkable book.”

“This is a masterful fantasy, becoming a real possibility, as the reader is drawn into the story. The Summit leaves you anxious for the next book in the series, yet also leaves you totally satisfied with the world you have just visited. Genius! An exciting, yet calming, experience that is not to be missed."

"There was hardly a page on which I did not find at least one sentence worthy of hi-lighting for future reference. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed the main character, James, whose personality and passionate verbal exchanges with the other characters, kept me coming back for more. I am reading the book for a second time while I wait for the next one in this series to be made available."

“N.G. Meyers has clearly put a great deal of research and thought into what the afterlife may look like and I like his perspective. It’s an altogether welcoming and exciting vision. The book gives one a great deal to think about and a reassuring confidence that the end of our lives is truly the beginning of life in the next. I highly recommend it."

"I am really enjoying your book, it’s fantastic! It is so incredible and diversified that I can’t really explain it other people, so what I say is just read this book. Thank you so much for the blessings that you’ve given the world!"

“The humour interjected into a serious discussion makes me laugh out loud. Totally unexpected....l may be in the presence of at least a master, if not a genius. A fair ride into reality... seeking that which is unseen, yet absolutely real.”

“An engaging story of adventure embracing man's deepest desire to search for meaning and purpose, N.G. Meyers takes the reader on an adventurous thought provoking journey. This book has substance. It is a perfect blend of adventure and fantasy combined with spiritual philosophy. It ignited my imagination. The author magically weaves a good story laced with wit and humor together with deep philosophical wisdom. This book has it all!”

“An evolution in thought is triggered by many fresh philosophical themes which could inspire readers to re-think their reality and former ideologies that have dictated their lives… the author fires readers’ imaginations to view what could be possible when spirit vacates the body.”

“This is the book spiritual seekers have been waiting for. For me, it granted a great read as well as increased inspiration to live every day with a heightened sense of purpose. I highly recommend it.

“The Summit is capable of hooking readers and luring them to search for Book 2 to discover more about Dr. Philip’s surreal trek into the mysterious unknown universe. This thick book is well worth the read and to share…”

“The Elysium’s Passage series challenges and excites the reader while taking him into parallel quests for truth with the hero, James. It can be a fast fantasy read or a longer deliberation about what is reality or illusion; veracity or platitude. Take the journey!”

“Mind-blowing statements and speculation (‘…everyone is a non-physical thought form conceived in the Mind of God, preserved for all eternity because God’s thoughts never die…’). Many will find Meyers’ journey up the Mountain intriguing—and possibly even life-changing.” (BLUEINK REVIEW)

“In its effort to grapple with fundamental questions about the meaning of life, it raises questions that have echoed throughout the ages, including about where we come from, where we are going, who we are.” (CLARION REVIEW)